The Toughness-Enhanced Atelocollagen Double-Network Gel for Biomaterials

Abstract

A tough gel composed of atelocollagen, which lacks an immunogenetic site, is a promising material for biomedical application. In this study, we created a composite hydrogel composed of atelocollagen gel cross-linked with glutaraldehyde (GA) and poly-(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) gel exhibiting biocompatibility based on the double-network (DN) gel principle. The tensile toughness of atelocollagen gel remained constant regardless of the amount of cross-linker (GA) used. In contrast, tensile tests of the DN gel indicated that mechanical properties, such as fracture stress and toughness, were significantly higher than those of the atelocollagen gel. Moreover, fibroblast cells adhered and spread on the gels, the Schiff bases of which were treated via reductive amination for detoxification from GA. These findings demonstrate the potential of the proposed gel materials as artificial alternative materials to soft tissues with sub-MPa fracture stress.

Comprehensive Assessment of Collagen/Sodium Alginate-Based Sponges as Hemostatic Dressings

“…No skin sensitization was observed on the skin surface of any guinea pigs at any time point. Both the control and experimental groups exhibited a sensitization score of zero, consistent with findings in the literature indicating that atelocollagen biomaterials lacking the peptide region at the antigenic end demonstrate good biocompatibility [52,53]. Therefore, the C/SA-based dressings were determined to be non-sensitizers in the sensitization test and exhibited good biocompatibility.…”